


Startale

by Klubii



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Awkward Conversations, Complicated Relationships, Depressed Sans, Everyone Needs A Hug, Frans - Freeform, Gen, Genderless Frisk, Goopy W. D. Gaster, POV Sans, Sans Needs A Hug, Slight Frans here, So Does Frisk, Startale, The Void, Things will just get worse, Though you can decide if it's platonic or not - Freeform, Undyne being jerky rn, W. D. Gaster Being An Asshole, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-08-12 08:53:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7928509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Klubii/pseuds/Klubii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU that seems normal, don't let the word 'star' fool you into thinking it means something big.</p>
<p>Unless deep deep down, it does.</p>
<p>And things are not going to go as planned.</p>
<p>Things are going to have to go a little off script.</p>
<p>Just a little...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Understand

**Author's Note:**

> I know I know I should be working on Strong Type yeah yeah yeah I'm trash

They couldn't understand.

Nobody could fucking understand.

Nobody knew.

Nobody cared.

Nobody remembered.

Nobody could understand.

 

* * *

 

The tension between him and his friend was high, they were sitting at in a park, on a park bench.

Finally, one of them spoke.

“...Sans?” the human child asked.

“Yeah kiddo?” the skeleton responded.

“Can… can you remember timelines?”

Sans froze, he hated talking about timelines, they weren't exactly a happy topic for him.

“Not everything… usually just… bits and pieces.” he lied through his teeth, literally.

He could remember every single moment, everything the child has done.

The good.

And the bad.

“...did you know I've killed everyone before?” the human’s voice was low and full of regret.

Sans went completely silent, he didn't want to answer that, he wished they weren't even having this conversation in the first place.

“Do you hold a grudge against me because of that?” the child pushes on.

Sans continued to be silent, couldn't they take a hint?

“Answer me!” they shout, they obviously weren't going to give up easily.

Sans responded in the only thing he could force out. “But there's nothing to say.” his sockets were hollow with no pupils to fill them.

The child finally gave in, and the two looked away from eachother in an uncomfortable silence.

 

* * *

 

The human reset.

They promised him they wouldn't ever again.

But they lied.

Sans wished nothing more than to go off his normal dialogue and yell at the child.

But he didn't.

He didn't attack.

He didn't go off script.

He just went along, like every single timeline before this one.

Though everything was about to change.

 

* * *

 

The child walked slowly through the Core, strangely more alert than normal.

Sans’s face when he first met him after they reset…

He looked sad, scared, angry, broken…

Shattered.

The human felt their sins crawling on their back, but pushed through anyway.

For a while, at least.

Suddenly, they heard a strange bubbling noise, from below them? They stepped over to the edge of the walkway, looking down at the steaming hot liquid below them, it was boiling it seemed?

The child noticed a smal spot where it was darker, but it grew bigger, and darker, before it was pitch black, and goo-like vines shot out of it, grabbing the human by the arms and shoving them to the ground.

They raised their head up just enough to see a being emerge from the bottom. His body looked like it was made of goop, and his head was cracked straight up on his right eye, and straight down on the right. His hands seemed to hover freely unless he moved them, they had holes in the center.

Now that the child examined the form closer, he looked oddly like… a skeleton?

The goop-like skeleton moved forward into the human's face.

**“You don't know what it's like to be forgotten, do you Frisk?”** his voice was deep, mysterious, and corrupted. **“Well, why don't you find out?”** his voice remained calm and collected as he prepared to launch himself back into the abyss with the child.

But something stopped him.

All of a sudden, Frisk’s soul was turned blue, and pulled away from the skeleton.

“Sorry G, but this kid has done nothing to ‘ya to deserve this.” a familiar voice spoke, Sans appeared behind Frisk, hand held up as he held Frisk’s soul.

‘G’ spoke again with a confident and amused expression. **“But what about to you?”**

“What do you mean?” Sans's voice remained dead serious, his left eye starting to come to life.

**“Haven't they killed everyone before?”**

Sans’s pupils disappeared at that.

**“This is your chance to get your revenge! Then they won't be able to hurt anyone ever again!”** the skeleton’s smile only grew bigger as he spoke.

Sans went silent, he was actually considering it, they've done it before, so who's to say they won't do it again?

But… they've also set them free… hundreds of times. Even if they did reset in order to do so…

But Sans trusted them, he didn't know exactly why, but he did.

“Nope, that's only happened once Gaster, and cuz’ of the hundreds of timelines where they didn't do that… they don't deserve to face your pain.” Sans said, and Frisk looked relieved.

But Gaster did not.

His expression turned from amused to angry and frustrated. **“You useless… ungrateful… pathetic… IDIOT!!!”** the vines immediately released Frisk and grabbed a hold of Sans instead, pulling him to Gaster.

Frisk reached out, screaming their friend’s name as more vines held them down.

Sans's pupils turned to pinpricks as he was launched to the melted form. **“I've been alone for so long, and now I'll finally have someone to spend time with again.”** the two approached the edge of the walkway, practically leaning over it. **“AND WHO BETTER THAN MY OWN SON?”** Gaster spoke maniacally, then fell backwards into the burning liquid under them, vines releasing on Frisk, but they wouldn't be able to do anything to stop them.

Sans felt himself coming apart as he saw total darkness.

He should be dead, anyone who fell into the Core should be dead.

But they weren't, they were erased.

Forgotten.

And that is why they couldn't understand.

Why no one could.


	2. Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He made a promise that day.
> 
> (Pre-Erasement)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this like 4 months ago whoops
> 
> Well here it is now

Sans was at his sentry post, half asleep at this point, he wanted to go home to sleep, relax, anything. The snow fell harder than normal and the wind was blowing, but he had to push through.

  
He remembered the promise he made with Undyne.

 

* * *

 

  
“I'm not taking this Undyne! He's been working hard! He should be a part of the royal guard!”

  
Undyne slammed her fist down onto the table. “He's. Not. Ready.”

  
“Then when will he be ready!? After 5 more years of training!? When!?” Sans shouted.

  
“We both care about him enough to not send him into battle like this!” Undyne yelled back.

  
“Is that what's holding you back!? The fact of sending him into battle!? You don't know at all what he's capable of…” Sans’s voice finally started to give in from shouting.

  
“Well if it's anything like you I'm not interested!” Undyne snapped.

  
Sans went totally silent, he pulled his hood up, then stuffed his hands into his pockets. “We're done here.” he mumbled, walking to the door to exit Undyne’s house. “Sans… wait..” the captain’s voice was hesitant.

  
“If you can stay exactly on your schedule as a sentry for a year, and if you don't slack off like you usually do, I'll make Papyrus a royal guard member.”

  
Sans didn't turn around, but he nodded enunciated enough so Undyne could see.

  
He stepped outside, then teleported back home.

  
He told Papyrus immediately and he was overjoyed.

  
Now the hard part was… well… not slacking off.

 

* * *

 

  
Unfortunately, he wasn't doing very well.

  
Papyrus was probably home, all warm, and not out in this growing blizzard.

  
God, he wished he had Papyrus's schedule right now.

  
Sans shakily pulled out his phone to check the time.

  
11:57 pm.

  
Just 3 more minutes and he could get out of this, just 3 more…

  
11:58.

  
2 more…

  
11:59.

  
Just one more…

  
Sans started to feel numb from the cold as the storm raged harder.

  
12:00 am.

  
Sans bounced out of his station, he wanted to get home as fast as possible.

  
He tried to teleport, but it didn't work.

  
Great, he had to walk.

  
Sans pulled the collar of his sweater up over his mouth, then pulled his hood up.

  
The wind only blew more.

  
And the snow fell harder.

  
Sans started to think Undyne gave him these schedules on purpose.

  
Bad weather, late at night, pretty much the worst stuff a sentry can get.

  
But today was the worst so far.

  
Sans slowly tredded through the ever-falling snow, his body only growing more numb every minute he was out there.

  
He just needed to get to Snowdin.

  
Past all the puzzles…

  
He could teleport again, but only short distances, so he skipped the puzzles.

  
He just needed to get to Snowdin.

  
He got to the bridge.

  
Almost there…

  
Papyrus was probably worried by now.

  
Or relieved, without his lazybones brother around.

  
Sans didn't even know at this point how he felt.

  
He could see his house, almost there, so close.

  
He tried teleporting to the door.

  
It didn't work as he planned, he only teleported a few feet.

  
Just a few more steps…

  
He got to the door.

  
Sans practically rammed it open as he burst into the house. He slammed the door closed and leaned against it, not even bothering moving any farther.

  
He closed his eyes, head falling back, Papyrus would come downstairs and see him sooner or later, he could barely feel his body anyway.

 

* * *

 

  
“SANS!” the voice was faint, but it was there.

  
“SANS! Wake up!” the voice again.

  
Sans slowly peeled his eyes open, his brother was in front of him, hands on his Sans’s shoulders.

  
“Brother! You're finally awake!”

  
Sans mumbled in response, he was still numb.

  
“Sans… where have you been!? It's 12:48!” Papyrus shouted.

  
“Just… just late… late schedule b-bro…” Sans’s words were still a mumble, but at least they were words now.

  
“And during a blizzard too! Honestly! Who would make a schedule during a blizzard!” Papyrus had picked up his brother and carried him over to the couch.

  
“Maybe whoever did it… just didn't… didn't know..” Sans replied.

  
Undyne. Undyne made the schedules. She always did.

  
Though Sans wasn't about to tell Papyrus his idol put him in danger.

  
“Well, nonetheless, I, the great Papyrus, command you to stay here while I get blankets and make some special spaghetti!” Papyrus struck a pose.

  
“Sounds good bro..”

  
And then Papyrus left.

 

* * *

 

  
Sans had to get back to work.

  
But Papyrus wasn't letting his brother go out.

  
Sans was fine! He only caught a cold… Sans had to go out again, if not, Papyrus wouldn't fulfill his dream.

  
Then he'd be back to square one.

  
Sans kept on insisting and insisting he was fine, despite how untrue it was, but Papyrus could see through his lies.

  
“You're not fine Sans! It'll be fine if you take a sick day!”

  
“No no no… no it won't, I'm fine Paps, I'm fi-”

  
“STOP SAYING YOU’RE FINE SANS! Whenever you say you're fine, you never are!”

  
“You don't understand Papyrus, I have to go out… I have to… I… I ha-”

  
“Just tell me why, tell me why and then maybe I'll let you go out.”

  
Did everyone like making propositions to him these days?

  
“I… I made a promise to someone, that's all..”

  
“A promise to go out when you're sick!? Why can't you be honest with me!? I know that you keep things inside but honestly Sans! It's starting to become hazardous to your health! How many more times do you have to lie to me before you'll be satisfied!? Just tell me brother! Why are you always so secretive!? Why don't you trust me enough to tell me anythi-!?”

  
“EVERYTHING I DO IS FOR YOU PAPYRUS! I’VE SPENT THE PAST 9 YEARS TRYING TO MAKE YOU HAPPY! YOU DON’T KNOW AT ALL WHAT I’VE SEEN OR WHAT I’VE BEEN THROUGH! I've tried so hard! I… I…”

  
Papyrus could hardly believe what he heard, he knew Sans cared, but… he didn't know he cared that much.

  
“Sans…”

  
No reply.

  
“Sans… are you happy?” Papyrus's voice was soft.

  
Still no reply.

  
“You don't want to answer me, do you?”

  
Still no reply.

  
“Is it because of me?”

  
“No.” Sans finally responded, pupils dim.

  
“Then why? Why are you unhappy?”

  
Sans looked down, pupils nonexistent by now.

  
“You wouldn't understand.” was all he could reply with.

  
Papyrus curled his hand into a fist. “And there you go again, you can't even tell me why you're unhappy.”

  
Sans looked away.

  
“You say you care, but if you can't tell me anything, it's bad enough as not caring at all.” Papyrus scoffed and walked to the door, opened it, stepped outside, then slammed it shut.

  
Sans stared at the door for a moment, before covering his face with his hands. He wouldn't cry, he couldn't cry, he can't do that anymore.

  
Heh, anymore was such a long time ago now.

  
Around 9 years to be exact.

  
Sans knew so much he couldn't tell anyone.

  
Even Papyrus.

  
Papyrus didn't know anything he had been through.

  
Sans has lied to him, but for his own good.

  
He thought it was for his own good.

  
Some of it was good, some of it was not.

  
All he knew is…

  
He barely cared anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy I have a feeling people are gonna have mixed reactions to this
> 
> Undyne and Sans dun like eachother for a reason that will of course be explained later
> 
> Mmmmmkay bye

**Author's Note:**

> Yes yes hate me whatever 
> 
> Sorry but I just really needed a break from Strong Type, I know what I wanna do, I know how everything's gonna play out, but I need to figure out a way to write it without vomiting messy writing and unfinished thoughts onto people, so there's my reasoning for that.
> 
> Also, I'm going on a cruise for about a week in about a day, so I won't be working on anything.
> 
> But I hope you enjoyed this bye~ ouo


End file.
